While having Luo Xiaowei fix her hair, Xu Xiaoya said to Liu Dazhuang, "Liu Dazhuang, go to my car right now and get the red silk cloth. Then find two stools, cover the factory sign in the guard room with the red silk cloth, and take it to the door to hang up the sign for the opening ceremony later. Also, hurry up and find someone to hang up the firecrackers, and arrange for someone to set them off. Oh, and have you served tea and cigarettes to the guests inside yet...?"
Zhao Qiang was worried about what to do next when Xu Xiaoya returned, which finally put his mind at ease. Although the class monitor was a bit autocratic, he felt like he couldn't manage without her. Zhao Qiang said, "President Liu from Yiyi Fashion and the senior students are helping to take care of things. The firecrackers seem to be in the finance department. I'll go find them."
Xu Xiaoya knew about Liu Yiyi's invitation, and she also knew that Liu Yiyi had given Zhao Qiang a women's cell phone. Of course, Xu Xiaoya knew Liu Yiyi's appearance and personality even better. Hearing that she was helping to greet customers inside, Xu Xiaoya was very dissatisfied. "Oh dear, how can we let her do this? You're ruining our business! Many of the customers I invited are men. If they say something wrong and offend President Liu, we'll lose a customer."
Zhao Qiang also became anxious: "Then I'll go in and take a look."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Xiaowei and I will go inside. You go find the firecrackers quickly."
Fortunately, the lounge, which was being used as a reception room, was filled with a harmonious atmosphere. Although many men were fawning over Liu Yiyi, they had already recognized the identities of Shan Hongfei and his three companions. In front of them, even the most domineering clients wouldn't dare to act recklessly. However, they all wondered how District Chief Xu's daughter could have invited someone like Shan Hongfei. District Chief Xu's influence alone was definitely not enough.
Liu Dazhuang, Hu Le, and Wang Xiaonian were completely at Xu Xiaoya's mercy. Zhao Qiang carried out a box of firecrackers and then looked for ropes to hang them up. On the other side, Liu Dazhuang asked him for nails and a hammer, saying how could they hang the sign without nails on the door? None of these things were done. It was a mess, and the scene could only be described with one word.
Fortunately, everything was finally ready in time. Zhao Qiang invited the guests to the door to prepare for the opening ceremony, which would be hosted by Xu Xiaoya. She was used to hosting class affairs, so this was easy for her to handle.
Xu Xiaoya was also sweating profusely from the busy work. She was extremely unwilling to be taken away by her father in the morning. Fortunately, her father returned home and then rushed back to the district for a meeting. However, he confiscated the house key before leaving, and Xu Xiaoya was locked in the house. She was worried about the opening of Shunfeng Technology, so she used bed sheets to make a rope and climbed out of the window. Although it was so difficult, she felt that it was all worth it when she thought of Zhao Qiang's words that he would develop Shunfeng Technology into a world-class technology company in the future.
"Distinguished guests and friends," Xu Xiaoya began her opening remarks, "Today is the opening day of Shunfeng Technology Company. Thank you all for coming to support us. On behalf of the company's general manager Zhao Qiang and all employees, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to you all!"
Actually, there are only two people in the company. Saying that is a bit too formal. However, if Zhao Qiang were to say it, he might not have such a relaxed expression. Next, Zhao Qiang will personally hang up the sign and unveil the curtain. Originally, it was planned to let Shan Hongfei do it, after all, his status is there. But Shan Hongfei said that this is Zhao Qiang's business, and it is most appropriate for him to personally unveil the curtain. Anyway, everyone is an outsider, so it doesn't matter who unveils the curtain.
Liu Dazhuang lit the firecrackers, and amidst the deafening explosions, Zhao Qiang, with Xu Xiaoya's help, hung the factory sign on the right side of the door. Then, he personally removed the red silk cloth covering it. Zhao Qiang didn't care whether others did it this way for their openings. He was already very happy that his company could still open smoothly after being vandalized like this. Besides, two beautiful women, Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei, stood on either side of him. One was sexy and bold, and the other was reserved and demure. Although these two beauties had nothing to do with him in the end, being able to stand with them under the spotlight was enough to make Zhao Qiang feel smug.
As the firecrackers subsided, Xu Xiaoya didn't rush to announce their departure for the restaurant. Instead, she changed her joyful expression to a sorrowful tone, "Dear guests, as some of you have probably noticed, our company suffered a serious vandalism incident yesterday. Qian Gang, the boss of Xinhua Computer Company, ordered his henchmen to smash up our business office!"
Zhao Qiang didn't expect Xu Xiaoya to bring this up in public. But since his company had been vandalized, what did Zhao Qiang have to be afraid of? Since he and Qian Gang were now mortal enemies, what did it matter if she spat in his face? At worst, it would just be another big battle.
The guests gathered at the entrance gasped in dismay. Most of them had business dealings with Xinhua Computer Company, so they naturally understood its background. Even if they were to buy a certain amount of office supplies from Shunfeng Technology in the future just to give face to Sun Junmei and Xu Liming, they dared not cut off their business with Xinhua Computer Company, for fear of being retaliated against by the Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee. However, the guests never expected that Shunfeng Technology and Xinhua Computer had become bitter enemies, and that they would be caught in the middle and find it difficult to make a living.
Xu Xiaoya said, "I know everyone has their concerns, but we will remember the help we gave Shunfeng Technology today. We will repay you tenfold or a hundredfold in the future. If anyone wants to kick us when we're down, we won't say anything. But one day, when Shunfeng Technology stands at the forefront of technology companies in Donghai City and even the whole country, there will be no chance for them to cooperate with us."
Xu Xiaoya's words sounded somewhat ridiculous to others. A small computer company dared to boast that it was at the forefront of technology companies in Donghai City and even the whole country. What was this if not bragging? However, since the words came from the mouth of the district chief's daughter, even if it was bragging, these business owners dared not say anything. In China, businessmen are still subject to the government, unless they are super businessmen. Xu Liming did not have real power in the development zone government, but it was still easy for him to trip up these businessmen.
Dan Hongfei coughed. It was time for him to step in. His junior brother and sister weren't of high enough status to say such things, as it would make these customers look down on them and even lower Shunfeng Technology's standing in their eyes. Their teacher valued his junior brother so much, letting him into the study for a private talk, even lending him his books, and sending him a congratulatory plaque when his junior brother opened his business. This was a treatment that no other junior brother had ever received. Since their teacher had taken a liking to him, Dan Hongfei had to support him wholeheartedly! He had tried to stand up for his junior brother and teach those who smashed the shop a lesson earlier, but he couldn't afford to lose heart now.
Volume 1 [086] Retribution Has Arrived (Part 1)
Dan Hongfei stepped out of the crowd and came to Zhao Qiang's side. He warmly took Zhao Qiang's hand and said, "Junior brother, today is your grand opening day. Our teacher told me to wish you a prosperous business and abundant wealth!"
Ye Wen, Ning Xiangdong, and Zhou Baoqiang also stepped forward to offer their congratulations. In fact, they had already said this before, but Shan Hongfei and the others did it in front of the guests for a reason. This was to announce to everyone that Zhao Qiang was their junior brother, and anyone who bullied Zhao Qiang was going against the four of them and their teacher!
Of course, some guests were unaware of the relationship between Shan Hongfei and Ye Wen, but someone quickly explained it to them: Professor Gu's famous disciples are spread across all walks of life, and he himself is a heavyweight figure of concern to the central government. These disciples have formed a huge network of relationships without any organization, and their influence is so great that even the heads of large state-owned enterprises, the mayor of Donghai City, and the party secretary must be wary of them!
So the guests who had initially despised Zhao Qiang, this gigolo, all stepped forward to shake his hand again and congratulate him, leaving Xu Xiaoya both amused and exasperated. In fact, she had already considered this beforehand; these clients were all there because of her influence, and probably secretly viewed Zhao Qiang as a puppet. After all, relatives of officials are not allowed to engage in business. These clients were using the unknown Zhao Qiang as a shield for Xu Liming, but now it seemed that this was not the case at all.
"Mr. Zhao, you are so young and promising! You have already been appreciated by Professor Gu at such a young age. Your future is limitless!"
"Mr. Zhao, rest assured, Shunfeng Technology will definitely be a part of our company's office supplies and computer procurement in the future!"
"Mr. Zhao is truly dashing and charming. With so many beautiful women supporting you, we are completely humbled and will have to learn from you in the future."
"President Zhao, please forgive me if there was anything inappropriate before. From now on, we will be close partners!"
Besides flattering Zhao Qiang, Xu Xiaoya, as one of Professor Gu's rare female disciples, was also very popular. In fact, these people didn't know much about Gu Yu. They just heard that he was very powerful. Under the mental pressure from Shan Hongfei and others, the bosses who came to congratulate him sang his praises. In reality, they hadn't witnessed the power that Professor Gu wielded. They wouldn't be convinced from the bottom of their hearts, but they had to give him face.
After saving face for Zhao Qiang, Shan Hongfei and his three companions left. They didn't have time to go to a restaurant for a meal. Firstly, they were tied up with work, and secondly, Shan Hongfei was eager to find the people who had vandalized the shop yesterday. To be honest, this incident was a real slap in the face for him. Although Zhao Qiang didn't care too much, if word got back to his fellow disciples in other cities, Shan Hongfei's years of hard work in Donghai City would have been for nothing. Moreover, he had just promised Zhao Qiang that the sooner he brought those people down, the sooner he could give his junior brother an explanation.
Leaving aside the events during the meal, it was thought things would be more relaxed afterward, but the guests who came to congratulate them arrived with orders. This was a result of Xu Xiaoya's thorough work. Back at the company, they all rushed to make purchases, keeping Xu Xiaoya extremely busy. It took the help of Luo Xiaowei, Liu Yiyi, Liu Dazhuang, Hu Le, and Wang Xiaonian to handle all the orders. Then, for items with stock, they were immediately loaded onto the trucks. For items without stock, Xu Xiaoya called suppliers to place orders. On the other hand, she also had to collect payments and settle accounts. The Shunfeng Technology Company compound was noisy all afternoon, and this atmosphere finally overshadowed yesterday's store-smashing incident.
However, the atmosphere at Shunfeng Technology Company had calmed down, but in reality, the law enforcement and store smashing incidents had only just begun. Zhao Qiang himself had already distanced himself from the matter, and the situation had evolved into a power struggle within the officialdom, with various interest groups displaying their unique abilities.
Song Ximao, captain of the Development Zone Branch of the Urban Management Law Enforcement Brigade of Donghai City, had a rare lunch with his wife Zhang Meimei. Zhang Meimei is thirty-six years old. Apart from her waist, she thinks she is perfect in every way. In the eyes of outsiders, her skin and appearance are definitely the standard of a twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old girl.
"hope Mao, can you help me think of a way to pull some strings with District Chief Xu's daughter?" Zhang Meimei said to her husband while eating.
Song Ximao frowned and said, "What are you doing? What connections does District Chief Xu's daughter have to run around in? Although I work for District Chief Xu, with your husband's abilities, he doesn't need to lick his daughter's boots."
Zhang Meimei glared at her husband: "District Chief Xu's daughter is as beautiful as a flower, and her breasts are even fuller than mine. You want to lick them, but do you have the luck? You don't know, do you? District Chief Xu's daughter has a slimming tea that will make you lose waist fat in minutes after you drink it."
Song Ximao glanced at Zhang Meimei's potbelly and said, "What are you bragging about? Don't try to fool me into paying for your weight loss. Tell me how much money you've spent on this. You've bought at least ten gym memberships alone. And I won't even mention those diet pills—they're completely ineffective!"
Zhang Meimei cursed, "You don't know anything! You know He Fengfei, the wife of Cheng Donglai, the director of the district committee office, right?"
Song Ximao couldn't help but laugh: "Of course I know. She's so fat that her breasts can swing all the way down her back. With your figure, she's already a beauty like Xi Shi in her eyes."
Zhang Meimei said, "But do you know how many pounds she's lost now?"
Song Ximao also became interested: "How much? It really works? I estimate that she used to weigh at least 200 jin, and her big breasts alone weighed 40 jin."
"She weighed 110 pounds, and almost all the fat on her body was eliminated overnight! It is said that she is going to the best cosmetic hospital in Beijing to have her loose skin and wrinkles removed, and she even boasted to the outside world that she would regain the youth of an 18-year-old girl."
Song Ximao cursed, "Damn, she really dares to say that. But if it's true, how did she manage to do it?"
Zhang Meimei said, "Didn't I tell you? It was District Chief Xu's daughter who gave her a cup of slimming tea. The tea is incredibly effective. It's said to be a high-tech military product from the United States, and there's no other tea like it in the world. He Fengfei spent 50,000 yuan to drink a cup. She only got it because her husband is close to District Chief Xu. I heard that someone outside offered 500,000 yuan to drink a cup."
Song Ximao shuddered: "Five hundred thousand? I wouldn't even part with fifty thousand..."
Zhang Meimei pinched Song Ximao hard: "Of course you're unwilling to spend it. With 50,000 yuan, you could go out and find a college student who's younger and prettier than me!"
Song Ximao was a traditional young man who was afraid of his wife. He would wilted as soon as Zhang Meimei got angry and immediately changed his tune, saying, "I'll find a way to scrape together 500,000 for you. Besides, it's just 50,000. If you really want to lose weight down to 110 pounds, I'll pay for it!"
Zhang Meimei sighed: "But even if we can afford it, Xu Xiaoya has to agree. There are countless women chasing after her begging for tea right now, and people from the municipal party committee have already taken action. If you don't hurry up and come up with a solution for me, I guess there's no hope."
Song Ximao said, "I'll try talking to District Chief Xu. We're spending the same amount of money, so I don't think he'll refuse to give us face."
Zhang Meimei pushed her rice bowl away: "You wash the dishes, I'm going out to play mahjong."
Zhang Meimei hadn't even finished getting ready when the phone rang. She answered with a coquettish laugh, "I'm coming right away, just wait for me a little while... What? Everyone's here? Didn't we agree to include me? What do you mean by this...?"
A minute later, Zhang Meimei turned off her phone. With a gloomy face, she said to Song Ximao, "Old Song, what were you doing yesterday afternoon?"
Song Ximao was still eating when his wife suddenly asked him a question, and he paused for a long time before answering, "I went to investigate a computer company."
Zhang Meimei asked, "Shunfeng Technology Company?"
Song Ximao said, "Yes, yes, that seems to be the name. You have no idea how fun it was. The company was run by a student, and we smashed it up like crazy..."
Volume 1 [087] Retribution Has Arrived (Part 2)
Zhang Meimei suddenly jumped up and started scratching Song Ximao: "You bastard, why don't you just die? That's owned by District Chief Xu's daughter. Now you've offended District Chief Xu and his daughter. They've spread the word that anyone who associates with me will never get the slimming tea. I'm already out of the women's circle, you bastard..."
Song Ximao pushed Zhang Meimei away, still somewhat incredulous. "It's run by District Chief Xu's daughter? That's impossible. The legal representative is clearly Zhao Qiang. District Chief Xu didn't instruct the subordinate units to take care of her beforehand. You must be mistaken."
Zhang Meimei was still yelling, "I have no hope of losing weight! Song Ximao, you bastard, do you want me to get as fat as a pig so you can kick me aside and find someone else?"
Annoyed by his wife's nagging, Song Ximao threw down his chopsticks and prepared to leave. Just then, his phone rang. He saw it was a classmate from the Discipline Inspection Commission. He went into the bedroom, closed the door, and answered, "Hey, you haven't even started digesting lunch yet and you're already planning tonight's operation?"
The other person's voice was somewhat hurried and flustered: "Old Song, have you offended Secretary Shan?"
Song Ximao didn't understand: "Secretary Shan? Which Secretary Shan?"
"Of course, it's our immediate supervisor, Shan Hongfei."
Song Ximao cursed, "Are you cursing me? Why would I offend him for no reason?"
"Then why is he investigating your case separately? He dug up the two complaint materials I had suppressed for you before. I just heard him talking to someone in his office about setting up an investigation team immediately to thoroughly investigate your abuse of power, accepting bribes, and keeping a mistress."
Song Ximao plopped down on the bed, beads of sweat forming on his face: "No way, accepting gifts during holidays is something everyone does. I haven't made any major mistakes. Besides, who doesn't have a lover? You've got two of them, you bastard."
"Why do you care how many I have? The key issue is that Secretary Shan isn't investigating me, so you must have offended him."
Song Ximao emphasized, "No, I have no dealings with him, how could I possibly offend him?"
"So what have you been up to lately?"
Song Ximao suddenly remembered what his wife had just mentioned about being expelled from the women's circle. He said, "I went to investigate Shunfeng Technology Company yesterday. Things got a bit out of hand. Old Qian smashed up their store."
The other person's voice was rather loud: "That's right! Do you know what Secretary Shan did this morning? I heard he went out to deliver a congratulatory gift to the opening of some tech company, and when he came back, his face changed. He kept having people move files into his office. I secretly took a look, and there were files from the development zone neighborhood committee, the police station, and the epidemic prevention station..."
Song Ximao exclaimed, "They must be investigating what happened to us yesterday. Yesterday, under the guise of joint law enforcement, Lao Qian treated us to a big meal at noon. Then we went to Shunfeng Technology Company to cause trouble. Later, Zhao Qiang found out about Lao Qian and the two sides got into a fight. Everyone, fueled by alcohol, smashed up his shop."
"Good luck to you." The other party hung up the phone.
Song Ximao was covered in a cold sweat when Zhang Meimei slammed open the bedroom door, yelling, "Which vixen are you talking to? I'm not even dead yet and you're already planning to replace me?"
Song Ximao was already annoyed when he slapped Zhang Meimei across the face, yelling, "I'm about to die, so shut up!"
Zhang Meimei was frightened and dared not make a fuss for a moment. Song Ximao immediately called Qian Gang. This matter had to be handled by Qian Gang. He couldn't handle it if it really came to his head. "Old Qian, something's happened."
Qian Gang was drinking outside: "What's the rush?"
Song Ximao said, "The company that smashed the shop yesterday seems to be related to Shan Hongfei of the Discipline Inspection Commission. My classmate gave me some information that the Discipline Inspection Commission has set up a special task force to investigate my past."
Qian Gang was stunned for a moment. The surrounding noise quickly disappeared. He probably found a quiet place to continue the call: "What? Zhao Qiang is just a college student, and he's not even a local. Although he's been getting close to Xu Liming's daughter lately, what are you afraid of, Xu Liming? He won't dare to do anything about this. My uncle is there to protect him."
Song Ximao said, "No, Lao Qian, Shan Hongfei should really be investigating my affairs. My classmate said that Shan Hongfei went to deliver a congratulatory gift to Shunfeng Technology when it opened this morning. Did you not investigate properly? My classmate also said that he is looking through the files of the epidemic prevention, neighborhood committee, and police station. Who would believe this if it wasn't targeting our joint law enforcement yesterday afternoon?"
Qian Gang also sensed the urgency of the matter and said, "Wait here for a moment, I'll call my uncle."
Qian Gang quickly got through to Zhong Shuhuan's cell phone. When he heard that Qian Gang might have offended Shan Hongfei, Zhong Shuhuan was furious: "Gangzi, of all people to mess with, Shan Hongfei is someone even the municipal party secretary has to treat with respect. Why are you trying to seduce him?"
Qian Gang said, "How would I know that Zhao Qiang would know him?"
Zhong Shuhuan said, "Let me find someone to check what's going on first. You can listen to my call in a bit."
Qian Gang waited anxiously for half an hour. During that time, someone ran over from the dinner table to pull him away, but he refused. Upon hearing that he was going against Shan Hongfei, Qian Gang became jealous. That man had too much influence, and he heard that he would soon be transferred to the provincial capital. If Shan was determined to target him, and his uncle couldn't protect him, would he have a good life in the future?
Finally, Zhong Shuhuan called. Qian Gang asked anxiously, "Uncle, have you found out anything?"
Zhong Shuhuan's tone was more relaxed: "Why are you panicking? I asked around and found out that the student you mentioned was just accepted as a disciple by Gu Yu. Shan Hongfei is standing up for his mentor. Don't worry, as long as you insist that you were just passing by and were misunderstood, this matter has nothing to do with you. At most, Shan Hongfei will vent his anger on those few district departments. He won't cause any big trouble."
Qian Gang said worriedly, "What if they betray me?"
Zhong Shuhuan said, "No, as long as your uncle is still in the municipal party committee, they won't expose you. Okay, let's pretend this never happened. Continue doing what you were doing. It's Shan Hongfei's business who he investigates, it has nothing to do with you. But Gangzi, you better remember this: think things through before you do anything in the future, otherwise you won't even know how you died if you really run into a brick wall one day!"
Qian Gang reluctantly hung up the phone, but before he could even process his uncle's instructions, his phone rang again. "Hello..."
"Old Qian, why did you do this to me?" It was a friend from the Development Zone Health Bureau who ordered the health inspection of Shunfeng Technology Company yesterday.
Qian Gang said, "When have I ever harmed you? What are you talking about? We've had a long-standing relationship, why would I harm you?"
“You said at lunch yesterday that Zhao Qiang of Shunfeng Technology had no connections, but I just received news that Secretary Shan of the Discipline Inspection Commission was furious about what happened yesterday afternoon. Although he didn’t explicitly say he was trying to save face for Zhao Qiang, he’s already investigating the complaint against me. If he finds any clues, I think things will get really bad this time!”
Qian Gang hummed twice, "What are you afraid of? My uncle has everything covered. Okay, I have something to do here, I'll leave now." After saying that, Qian Gang quickly hung up the phone. Shan Hongfei was planning to make a big fuss; he was going to use the various departments of the development zone as a sacrifice for Zhao Qiang!
People at the banquet came over to pull Qian Gang, saying, "Mr. Qian, come and have a drink!"
Frustrated, Qian Gang yelled, "Fuck your mother, get out!" The man, having no status, could only slink back in fear after being insulted.
The phone rang again. Qian was about to ignore it, but when he saw the number, he had no choice but to answer. "Hello."